Caprese salad is always such a simple and perfect blend of flavors that there’s really not much else you can do to improve on it…but I did! I used toasted slices of the homemade French baguettes I posted yesterday, melted mozzarella, roasted tomato slices, fresh basil leaves, and topped the whole thing off with a bit of homemade red wine vinaigrette. If you have a party coming up you can’t go wrong with this 10 minute appetizer that packs a punch of bold fresh flavors!
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Ingredients:
1 French baguette, cut into slices about 1 inch thick (you can use store bought or find out how to make your own here!)
Olive oil
Mozzarella, sliced about ¼ of an inch thick*
1-2 tomatoes, sliced ¼ of an inch thick*
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Large fresh basil leaves
*Depending on the size of the baguettes you make or purchase, you may want to cut your mozzarella and tomato slices in half like I did to make them fit on top of the baguettes easier. As an added bonus you also stretch your ingredients a bit further so you can make more!
Red Wine Vinaigrette:
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 ½ Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp honey
1 tsp coarsely ground salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
Add red wine vinaigrette ingredients to a small canning jar and shake until mixed. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. The mixture will separate so just give it a few good shakes before using.
Place an oven rack in the upper third of your oven and turn broiler setting to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
(1.) Arrange baguette slices on a baking sheet. (2.) Brush the tops with olive oil and place in the oven to bake for 2-3 minutes or until edges turn a light golden brown. Keep an eye on them so they don’t get too crispy. (3.) Remove from the oven and top with a slice of mozzarella, then tomato, and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Place in the oven to roast the tomato and melt the mozzarella. Approximately 2-3 minutes. (4.) Remove from the oven and top with a fresh basil leaf and drizzle a spoonful of the red wine vinaigrette across the top.
Serve right away.
Enjoy!
